Nokia 6 2018 with Snapdragon 630 is now up for sale in India for $260

HMD Global unveiled the Nokia 6 last year, and while the phone had a durable chassis crafted out of aluminum and a sleek design, its internals left a lot to be desired. The Snapdragon 430 chipset wasn't powerful enough to drive the Full HD panel, and as a result the phone felt sluggish. Thankfully, HMD is making amends with the 2018 variant, which features a much more powerful Snapdragon 630 chipset.

The overall design is largely identical to last year, and that's a good thing as the Nokia 6 is one of the most durable phones around (HMD even played air hockey with Nokia 6 units to demonstrate their durability).

The phone is crafted out of series 6000 aluminum, and offers a 5.5-inch Full HD panel layered with Gorilla Glass 3. HMD decided to go with an 18:9 panel on the Nokia 7 Plus, and it should have done the same for the Nokia 6 2018 — the 16:9 form factor makes the phone feel antiquated against the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The rest of the specs include the aforementioned 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630, which is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There's also a 16MP camera at the back along with an 8MP front shooter, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE Cat 4 modem, FM radio, dual SIM card slots, USB-C, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Nokia 6 2018 isn't the fastest budget phone, but it has the best software experience.

HMD has finally ironed out the kinks from the first-gen model, but the budget segment in India is fiercely competitive. The Redmi Note 5 Pro retails at the same price point, and you get a beefier Snapdragon 636 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a class-leading camera.

The Nokia 6 2018, on the other hand, is all about the durable design coupled with Android One. Ultimately, it comes down to what you're looking for — the Nokia 6 2018 will be one of the first phones in this segment to receive updates, and while it may not have the hardware grunt of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it offers a much better software experience.

Starting this year, HMD has started selling phones direct from its online store, dubbed Nokia Shop. You'll be able to pick up the Nokia 6 2018 from the storefront for ₹16,999 ($260), with the device available in black and white color options. There's a convoluted cashback scheme that will net you ₹2,000 back provided you're an Airtel customer, and HMD has other launch offers as well.